 Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-astrophysics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2015/1/b/i/solution

M = 2.8 M_{⊙}

and

μ = 0.7 M_{⊙}

. Inserting these into the circular orbital decay timescale gives

A_{m a x} = 2.38 \times 1 0^{9} m, P_{m a x} = 10.5 h .

Using the integrated ten-billion-year merger criterion instead would give

15.2

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